Shot down in a shootout again

Tampa Bay Lightning have given us plenty of reasons to be cheerful over the past few weeks so it's hard to feel too down about its most recent shootout loss.
This time they went down 2-1 to Montreal to snap a three-game winning streak but at least the final eight possible points of 2008 have yielded seven - not bad given what went before it.
Lightning interim coach, Rick Tocchet, admitted it was hard to be too down on his players, but said it would be nice to win a shootout for a change.
"We grabbed a point, and it was really a great hockey game," said Tocchet. "Shootouts are really tough, because they are confidence-builders if you win them, you can really take off when you win those things. We've been on a little bit of a streak, but we needed the two points, bad, really bad."
Goaltender Mike Smith was solid in net for Tampa Bay all night, stopping 29 shots, but the overall result made it 2-7 to Lightning in shootouts this season (3-10 in overtime).
"I think we still played like we have been, and we did a lot of good things tonight," said Smith, who has allowed 15 shootout goals on 40 attempts this season. "We have to come out of this game with a positive, and that's a top team in this league and we are battling to find our mojo. I think we played a pretty decent hockey game, so we can't get too down."

Come and stay with us on Anna Maria Island at annamaria.com

It's all gone horribly wrong

How the Bucs wish they could have a December do-over. Four straight losses culminating in Sunday's 31-24 defeat to Oakland Raiders has seen their season disappear in smoke. And a sickening injury to returning receiver 'Caddy' Williams did nothing to lift the mood.
''There's disbelief. There's shock. There's emotions, I'm sure, that I can't really describe,'' said the veteran running back Warrick Dunn of the biggest collapse in franchise history. ''To be 9-3, and you lose four in a row when all you have to do is win one and you're in, it's tough to swallow. The guys in this locker room have prepared hard, played hard. Things haven't gone our way.''
Tampa Bay (9-7) was tied for first place in the NFC South heading into December but was outscored 62-19 in the fourth quarter and overtime of losses to Carolina, Atlanta, San Diego and Oakland down the stretch. If there is one area that coach Jon Gruden might want to concentrate on now, it's there for all to see.
''It's very disappointing. ... I'm sick for our players, and our fans, more than anything,'' Gruden said.
The Bucs gave up 564 yards rushing and allowed Carolina, Atlanta and San Diego to convert 21 of 37 third downs the previous three weeks. Oakland finished with 192 yards rushing and converted 6 of 13 third downs.
Quarterback Jeff Garcia threw for 257 yards, including a 58-yarder to Michael Clayton for a third-quarter touchdown that erased Oakland's 14-7 half-time lead. Williams finished with a season-best 78 yards rushing on 12 carries.
Williams sustained a severe injury to his left knee after being tackled along the sideline by CB Chris Johnson at the end of a 28-yard run, and immediately grabbed his knee. Gruden said it was "serious" but did not get specific. But his team-mates indicated Williams tore his patella tendon, the same he tore in his right knee against Carolina last season.

Still, it could be worse (just). We could be Lions fans...

Locate the very best in Florida vacation rentals at annamaria.com

Lightning send us perfect gift

Finally a Christmas present no Lighting fans expected - a win!
Tampa finally wrapped up a result with a 2-0 victory against Pittsburgh. Mike Smith stopped 15 shots in snapping an 11-game winless streak, while rookie Paul Szczechura enjoyed his first career two-point night to help Lightning pick up just its third victory in 17 games under interim coach Rick Tocchet.
Smith made 15 saves to earn his second shutout of the season, Szczechura had a goal and an assist, Matt Pettinger had a goal and Mark Recchi recorded two assists to give him 1,401 points for his career as the Lightning won for the second time in their past 14 games.
The Penguins, who hadn't been shut out at home since January 18 when the Lightning beat them 3-0, were held to seven shots in the final two periods as Tampa Bay set a season-low with 15 shots allowed.
''It's like a sigh of relief,'' said Smith. ''You almost forget how to win.''

Well done guys, that his given us a merry Christmas!

Bucs going backwards

The wheels are coming off Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the once unstoppable juggernaut has shifted into reverse. The Bucs lost their third straight Sunday, this time a 41-24 reverse to the San Diego Chargers at Raymond James Stadium, and a team once shoo-ins for a playoff spot are beginning to look anything but.
At least the situation seems to have dawned on the players, who are beginning to realize that taking a playoff spot for granted is not going to get them one.
"I have to harness my inner Jim Mora here,'' cornerback Ronde Barber said. "I mean, to heck with the playoffs. Right now we just have to find a way to win a game, period.''
The report from Tampa Bay Online just about sums it up.
They didn't get it done in the running game, the Bucs rushing for 111 yards overall but getting only 50 on 19 carries by running backs Warrick Dunn, Cadillac Williams, Clifton Smith and B.J. Askew.
They didn't get it done in the passing game, Garcia completing 21 of 35 passes for 232 yards and a touchdown but throwing two interceptions while at least four passes were dropped by receiving targets.
And they didn't get it done on defense, the Bucs limiting the Chargers to just 90 yards rushing but allowing them to convert 54 percent of their third downs while also allowing several big plays.
One of the biggest was a 25-yard Rivers pass to Vincent Jackson just before halftime. That set up a 57-yard Nate Kaeding field goal that did more than just extend a Chargers half-time lead to 20-10.
It's hard to imagine, but the Bucs were 9-3 three weeks ago. If they are to be more than a one-show wonder in the post-season - provided they can get past Oakland Raiders next weekend - they may have to look to the past before going forward.

Get on over to Anna Maria Island. For the best in vacation rentals visit http://www.annamaria.com/

Buccs waiting on Garcia

Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans are crossing fingers, clutching lucky clovers and rubbing rabbits' feet this week, in the hope that QB Jerry Garcia recovers from injury in time for Sunday's critical game against the Chargers. Bucs coach Jon Gruden couldn't say for sure on Wednesday whether Garcia's sore calf will allow him to stick to his preferred game plan and so he is preparing for every eventuality.
"We have good reason to do that," Gruden said. "We have an obvious injury at the quarterback position, and it's a little more serious than we all thought."
Garcia, who claimed it felt season-ending against Atlanta on Sunday, has now changed to a more optimistic tune. "I feel fine," Garcia said. "I feel like I can do more now. I know I'm heading in the right direction."
If that changes between now and the weekend, Gruden will most likely call upon Brian Griese, who took four critical sacks, but completed 26 of 37 passes for 269 yards and a touchdown, while playing for the first time in eight weeks against the Falcons.
"You don't complete 27 passes for nearly 300 yards if you're not a pretty good player," Gruden said. "Brian Griese is not the reason we lost that game. We have a number of things we have to do better."
At least some of the other problem areas are sorting themselves out for the Buccs, with defensive tackles Chris Hovan and Jovan Haye returning to work, they are also hopeful that linebacker Derrick Brooks will play.

Bucs down but not out

Two successive defeats have certainly put a dent in Tampa Bay Buccaneers confidence but the facts remain pretty clear: if the Bucs win their final two games, they'll not only reach the playoffs, but also could win the NFC South.
"That really is the silver lining in all this," linebacker Barrett Ruud said to the Tampa Tribune. "I mean, you hate to go into the last two games needing five teams to lose and this or that team to win. This way, it's still on us."
While both games are against teams with losing records - San Diego (6-8) and Oakland (3-11) - and both are at home - where Tampa Bay is unbeaten - the Bucs have a long list of issues to address.
Of most concern to coach Jon Gruden will be the mountain of injuries that grew even larger Monday when it was announced linebacker Derrick Brooks could miss Sunday's game against the Chargers with a rib injury. Brooks has not missed a start in his 14 NFL seasons.
Add Brooks to a list including safety Jermaine Phillips (broken arm), defensive linemen Chris Hovan (knee), Jovan Haye (knee), Gaines Adams (ankle) and the Bucs could have a hard time winning even one game. The Chargers, who remain in the AFC playoff hunt, still have one of the game's premier running backs in LaDainian Tomlinson, and the Bucs have allowed 474 rushing yards the past two games.
But at least the Bucs have destiny in their own hands, let's hope they can run with it.

Gators turn the Tide

In the end, it came down to who wanted it most. And once the dust had settled on the Gators' historic 31-20 win for the SEC Championship and an expected shot at the BCS National Championship game, that was clearly the visiting team.

Everyone played their part in an historic win for the Gators, one which coach Urban Meyer said would 'will go down as one of the great wins in Florida football history'.

Tim Tebow led the Gators - and from their first possession it was clear they were unfazed by the enormity of the situation. The Gators went 59 yards in nine plays for a touchdown from the kick-off, when Tebow threw three yards to Carl Moore for the touchdown on third and goal.
It was the ninth time this season Florida had scored on its first look at the ball.

Alabama responded with a touchdown from Glen Coffee and a 30-yard field goal to lead 10-7 but a three-yard pass to David Nelson gave the Gators a 17-10 half-time lead. But Tide rolled back after Mark Ingram scored on a two-yard run and Leigh Tiffin booted his second field goal, a 27-yarder that pushed Alabama ahead going to the final period.

But with just over nine minutes remaining the Tebow found Jeff Demps for a two-yard run and the inspirational QB finished the scoring with a pass that couldn't have been thrown any better, hitting Riley Cooper for a five-yard TD with under three minutes left.

Not surprisingly, Tebow was named man of the match, and earned a glowing endorsement from his coach. ''I think he's the best college football player in America,'' said Meyer.

You won't find too many folks down here who disagree.

Come and stay with us in Anna Maria with a luxury vacation rental. Visit annamaria.com for more details

Greased Gators up against Alabama slammers

Football fans in Anna Maria and southern Florida are getting ready for the match of the season tomorrow as the Gators take on Alabama for the SEC Championship.
The game looks to be shaping up as a meeting of speed vs power - and something has to give as Florida's offensive speedsters Percy Harvin, Chris Rainey and Jeff Demps meet the 12-0 power players of Alabama.
''They have a lot of speed,'' Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban said. ''They have probably three or four players that are unique space players in terms of speed and quickness. They have some good runners. They have a lot of speed. They have a lot of speed on defense. I think we have pretty good team speed.''
The game is taking place on the turf of the Georgia Dome so both sides will benefit from an improvement in foot speed.
''It's not just guys running fast, it's guys blocking and the team you're playing,'' Florida coach Urban Meyer said. ''I am very eager to have those guys get up there. And that's going to be a fast track, but the team we're playing is going to be fast as well.''
Gary Danielson, who is covering the game for CBS, reckons this is a match made in TV heaven. ''This is the most intriguing match-up I've ever done and basically it's because of the styles,'' said Danielson. ''This is Frazier versus Ali. This is ugly versus pretty. This is new versus old. This is spread out versus tight.''
The Gators might be fast, but that doesn't mean they won't be a challenge for an Alabama defensive line that features nearly 400-pound nose tackle and run stuffer Terrence Cody. ''They have a direct run power game that is probably as good as anybody we played against all year,'' Saban said. ''To control the line of scrimmage is going to be a really critical factor in this game.''
Florida's biggest man in the running game just happens to be quarterback Tim Tebow, who has run for 12 touchdowns. Tebow says the Gators are hardly just a finesse team.
''I think they're a powerful team, but I think we've got a little power, too,'' he said. ''I'm looking forward to the match-up. People are always going to think of us as a spread team with speed. We're not too bad in the short-yardage stuff, either.''
It's going to be one heck of a match - which will be narrowly won by the Gators if you ask me.

Fun and games in Philly

It was entertaining for those who were there, but the Lightning would take the worst kind of win, any win, at the moment. Tuesday night's 4-3 overtime loss to the Philadelphia Flyers meant Tampa Bay fell to its third consecutive defeat, leaving it winless in its last five and 1-6-4 after 11 matches. The Lightning also fell to 2-8 this season on games decided in overtime or a shootout.
Not good numbers, but at least the Lightning are providing opposition fans with some entertainment.
It all happened late on as the Lightning rallied from two down in the third, first on a popped-up puck that bounced off Vinny Prospal's shoulder, then through former Flyer Steve Downie. The night could so easily have had a happy ending when Ryan Malone had a breakaway opportunity with 16.3 seconds left, but he failed to convert. But when Scott Hartnell threw his glove Malone had a penalty shot and a chance to win it but Biron saved.
Malone's bad luck continued when he bumped into Biron in overtime and Mike Richards scored on the power play.
Life is never dull with the Lightning around...